April CCP Meeting: Become a Backyard Naturalist!

Please join us for the next Chatham Conservation Partnership meeting on April 18, 2019, from 9 a.m.–noon at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center in Pittsboro.

Local naturalist Mike Dunn will share some of his images and stories of the incredible variety of plants and animals you can find in your own backyard here in Chatham County. All you need is to provide some habitat, develop your observation skills, and have some patience. Record your observations to help us know what we have so we can develop conservation strategies to preserve it. Chris Goforth will show participants how to use the app iNaturalist to record and learn more about local flora and fauna. (See speaker bios below).

Mike Dunn is currently a natural science educator with the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. He previously worked with the state for 33 years (NC State Parks and the NC Museum of Natural Sciences) trying to help people of all ages understand and appreciate the natural world. He has designed and conducted hundreds of workshops on natural history throughout the state and beyond, on subjects ranging from wildlife to wildflowers. In addition to his duties at the Botanical Garden, Mike continues to learn and share his observations of nature through his blog as the Roads End Naturalist.

Chris Goforth is an entomologist and the head of citizen science at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Her work combines citizen science focused environmental education and programming, educator professional development, scientific research on dragonflies through citizen science projects, and coordination and promotion of the citizen science program at the NCMNS. She is particularly passionate about teaching people about aquatic insects and loves using citizen science to engage everyone in nature and science.

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About Growing Small Farms

From Bear Creek to Bynum, Silk Hope to Moncure, the Chatham County landscape is dotted with small farms. Farmers throughout the county are known for growing a great diversity of agricultural products, including vegetables, fruits, cut flowers, herbs, poultry, beef, pork, dairy products, and other goods. As one of the few counties in the state to actually experience an increase in the number of farms in the past decade, Chatham is also “growing small farms.”

Many of Chatham’s newer farms are owned by first-generation farmers attracted to the challenges and rewards of making a living from the land. Chatham has a large concentration of farms practicing organic and sustainable agriculture that strive to be environmentally responsible, economically viable, and socially just. In a time when the trend in conventional agriculture is towards fewer and larger farms and many of North Carolina’s “conventional” farmers are struggling, the sustainable and diverse agriculture practiced by Chatham’s small farms provides the best hope for keeping agriculture a viable part of the community.

Chatham’s proximity to upscale Triangle-area markets ensures a steady demand for the organic and sustainably-grown crops produced by area farmers. Four farmers’ markets in the county provide residents with ample opportunities to shop and interact with local growers throughout the long growing season. Many area farms offer opportunities for on-farm visits where visitors get the chance to make the connection between food and agriculture.

Small farms also provide many indirect benefits. They help maintain open space valued by people and wildlife. Visitors flock to Chatham for the beauty of its rural landscape. The challenge is to preserve this rural landscape in the face of development pressures from Raleigh and Chapel Hill. One way to preserve the rural landscape is to help keep farms in the county.

The Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension has long recognized the value and importance of the sustainable agriculture practiced by small farms in the area. In 1994, the Chatham County Center created a new county agent position to support the unique needs of these small farmers. Today, this position is fully funded by the Chatham County government, which recognizes the value of sustainable agriculture to the county. Chatham County Agricultural Extension Agent Debbie Roos works with farmers to promote increased awareness, understanding, and practice of sustainable agriculture through monthly educational workshops, a website, on-farm visits, and other consultation.

Roos developed the Growing Small Farms website in 2002 after a survey revealed that approximately 95% of local farmers regularly used the Internet. The site has since grown to over 500 pages and receives over 25,000 visitors each month. Growing Small Farms is also on Twitter and Facebook.

Farms don’t exist without consumers, so please take the time to get to know the farmers in your community and support their efforts to keep Chatham County green! Visit our farmers’ markets to purchase the freshest vegetables, fruits, meats, baked goods, and other products, all grown or made locally by the person selling it to you. The Buy Local Guide lists community supported agriculture farms, on-farm stands, pick-your-own farms, wineries, and more. Check out the local farm profiles and farm photos on this website for a glimpse of the diversity that allows Chatham’s farms to prosper.

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension, which staffs local offices in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

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